What is binge drinking?

Binge drinking is, in the words of one alcohol scholar, "the consumption of large-enough amounts of alcohol in short-enough periods of time to put the drinker and others at risk."11 Historically, a binge was depicted as a weekend-long episode of heavy drinking that left the drinker unable to perform their usual obligations. More recent interpretations of binge drinking connote night-long episodes of severe intoxication rendering the drinker not only inebriated, but in peril of alcohol poisoning.12 Thus, attempts to quantify binge drinking (how much over how long) by a single threshold has left the field of alcohol scholars divided over what does and does not constitute binge drinking. The most widely used (and most often criticized) quantification of binge drinking is the 5/4 standard employed by Henry Wechsler of the Harvard School of Public Health. It states that a binge is the consumption of five or more drinks on an occasion for males and four or more drinks on an occasion for fema ... more

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, binge drinking is defined as a pattern of alcohol consumption that brings the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level to 0.08% or above. This pattern of drinking usually corresponds to 5 or more drinks on a single occasion for men or 4 or more drinks on a single occasion for women, generally within about 2 hours. ... more

Binge drinking means different things to different people. Most people would describe binge drinking as being seriously ‘drunk’ and out of control. Stereotypes of binge drinking involve people behaving badly in public, being rowdy, throwing up or fighting. The accepted definition of binge drinking is generally considered to be drinking more than 8 units if you’re a man, or 6 units if you’re a woman, in one session – twice the recommended sensible daily guidelines. Regular drinking at this level puts your health and well being at serious risk. ... more

Binge drinking is generally defined as having 5 or more drinks on one occasion, meaning in a row or within a short period of time (Naimi, 2003). However, among women, binge drinking is often defined as having 4 or more drinks on one occasion (NIAAA, 2004) (Wechsler, 1998). This lower cut-point is used for women because women are generally of smaller stature than men, and absorb and metabolize alcohol differently than men do. ... more

Binge drinking is, in the words of one alcohol scholar, "the consumption of large-enough amounts of alcohol in short-enough periods of time to put the drinker and others at risk." Historically, a binge was depicted as a weekend-long episode of heavy drinking that left the drinker unable to perform his or her usual obligations. More recent interpretations of binge drinking connote night-long episodes of severe intoxication rendering the drinker not only inebriated, but in peril of alcohol poisoning. Thus, attempts to quantify binge drinking (how much over how long) by a single threshold has left the field of alcohol scholars divided over what does and does not constitute binge drinking. The most widely used (and most often criticized) quantification of binge drinking is the 5/4 standard employed by Henry Wechsler of the Harvard School of Public Health. It states that a binge is the consumption of five or more drinks on an occasion for males and four or more drinks on an occasion for fem ... more

Binge drinking is drinking to get drunk. It is drinking a lot in a short time 5 or more drinks in a row. Binge drinking is when a person drinks as much as possible, as fast as possible. People who drink to get drunk may have a serious problem with alcohol. ... more

Binge drinking is defined by researchers as drinking five or more drinks in a row for men and four drinks for women.1 It is generally understood by most people as too much alcohol in too little time. ... more

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, binge drinking is defined as a pattern of alcohol consumption that brings the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level to 0.08% or above. This pattern of drinking usually corresponds to 5 or more drinks on a single occasion for men or 4 or more drinks on a single occasion for women, generally within about 2 hours. ... more